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7.19.2010

Mairie Bujumbura

That is the city's actual name. I need to find out the story behind it. There are about a million people here in an area very much the geographical size of the Salem/Keizer area. The downtown is just about the same size with residential areas going north and south along Lake Tanganyika. The slums are on the north and south edges. The air quality is dense, and deisally. I know my way around. Which is a miracle in itself. There is not a single traffic control device in the city. But as compared to last time the traffic is denser but simpler, not only no cows, but I have not seen a lose goat or chicken in the city since I arrived. Our house is on the the south end of town 5 kilometers or so. Too far to walk in the heat. So I can walk a km to the main road and take a taxi cab, for 3,000 burundi francs, or a taxi-moto (125cc motorcyles) - quick little hummers. You can guess what I favor. There is no helmit law, so most don't, but worse, the ones that do almost never tie the chin strap. They believe deeply in personal magic here. They do like to look like "bikers" so they tend to wear a long sleeve jacket - often down or fake down - 1st world handme downs from Green Bay Wis near as I acan tell. This in heat that is volcanic in its intensity.

I close now - The good woman whose desk and computer I am squatting on has come in to work - more later -
Peg